Just Smile
by Writer'sInsanity
Summary: Dick forces Artemis to make a promise, and she tries to just smile through it all. Slightly AU. Traught, though could be platonic if you wanted it to be.


_**I still think we need more Traught fics...  
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_**Altered timeline Homefront, AU.  
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_**Don't own anything.**_

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_"I saw what you did last night, and the amazing thing is, not one of them will ever know..." _

_"Know what?"_

_ "How much harder it is for the rest of us. See, my friends get more and more powerful, powerful, all of them. They'll never know how tough it is to be the one who isn't chosen, to live so near to the spotlight but never step in it. But I know, I see more than anybody realizes, because no one is watching me. I saw you last night. You're not special... you're extraordinary."_

_- You're Not Special *Robin and Artemis*_

"You can't do this!" Artemis protested, grabbing his arm in a tight grip, determined not to let go of him, to keep him safe. Robin only gave her a bittersweet smile.

"I can, Artemis, and I will. I have to," Robin stated. "I don't want to do this either, but we can't just let them die." And Artemis knows this, but she can't bring herself to loosen the death grip, because it's the only thing keeping him from getting himself killed. No one would want it, not Connor, not Megan, not Kaldur, not Wally, and definitely not her.

_Into the fire on my own. I know I won't see your face again. Hey._  
_Are you sitting there alone, hey-ya-hey. Are you thinking like me, of the laughing times._  
_Or all the sad and loving times?_  
_Everything that's left of us is fading away!_

"At least let me come with you!" The only reply was a shake of the head, they both knew that the Reds told them Robin only.

Artemis only clutched harder, enough to cut the circulation through his arm, her nails digging into his skin. He had no choice but to shake her off, heading to the hangar without a second glance at the broken girl behind him. She was a strong girl, a would she stay standing after this? _You once said that I fit my name perfectly, _Robin thought. _It's your turn to live up to yours- Artemis, the Greek goddess of archery. _As he entered, a blast of heat scorched his face as a streak of fire flew a few inches in front of his eyes. He risked a peek at his friends. Kaldur and Megan were both unconscious in their cage of fire, while Wally and Connor were slumped over, unmoving, but breathing all the same.

"Stop!" The flames of the cage and the waterline receded as the two Reds turned to face the protege of Batman. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the pain to overtake him, and was soon rewarded with a burning sensation that only lasted for a few seconds which seemed like hours and then... complete darkness.

_Promise me to think of us, as a time so beautiful_  
_Promise me to think of us, still bright, still colorful_  
_Promise me to look back at us, as a time in your life, you enjoyed_

(Artemis emerged from the zeta beam, but took a step back as a fireball whizzed past her nose. Robin was doing all his fancy flips and tossing all the batarangs and explosive disks at the unknown attackers. Artemis joined in and shot a couple of arrows in the vague direction of a silhouette in the smoke. All she got for her troubles was another fireball as a response.

"_Who _are we fighting, exactly?" Artemis called over her shoulder. The Boy Wonder only shrugged, telling her to head for the exit. "...or not." Instead, they shot off in the other direction.

"-already took out our four _super-powered _friends! How are we going to beat them? We're only human..."

"Don't underestimate what we could do, Mis. If anyone knows how it's like hanging around metas, it's me. They all get more powerful everyday, while we're held back by our limits. None of them will know how it feels, even Wally. Being human, it just makes us more impressive. We _will _beat them." A comforting hand fell upon her shoulder. "And-"

{Robin, you have five minutes to sacrifice yourself, or your friends' lives shall be... extinguished} The announcement caused the two to lock eyes, a look of anguish exchanged.)

He told her to be happy, to stay smiling. He made it sound so easy. It wasn't.

_Surrounded by flames everywhere. What I used to be, and not even there_  
_The absence of you is killing me, hey-ya-hey. Are you thinking like me, of the laughing times, _  
_Or all the sad and loving times?_  
_Everything that's left of us is fading away! _  
_Promise me to think of us, as a time so beautiful_  
_Promise me to think of us, still bright, still colorful_  
_Promise me to look back at us, as a time in your life you enjoyed_

At school she kept her head down. Everyone thought that he was just sick and at home (most likely to skip the history test). She knew, though and wished that she didn't. She wished that she could be as ignorant as the others, but that night when she found out who he really was wouldn't let her. Her behavior got some awkward looks from the "charity cases" like her and was a joke to the preps. Ugh. Worst day ever.

The only two that she didn't despise were Barbara and Bette, who tried to comfort her and reassured her that "it'll be all right, whatever's wrong".

As if.

The lack of the presence of a certain acrobat didn't make it any better. She would do anything to relive the memories lingering in her mind, to redo all those times she enjoyed with Dick, laughing about random things, sneaking out for patrol, just the two of them, pranking each other and doing stupid dares, trolling Wally to a point where he got pissed and started chasing them around the cave with the intent to murder (or something like that).

_(Promise me, promise me) I will be fine without you_  
_(Promise me, promise me) There's more in my life to see you_  
_(Promise me, promise me) I will be fine without you_  
_(Promise me, promise me) There's more in my life to see you_

Artemis loved Zatanna. And Zatara. Truthfully, she would never be able to thank them enough, even if they got annoyed by the stream of "thank you"s flowing from her mouth. Wally was a fool, not believing in magic. Oh well, he could believe in anything he wanted. Not that it mattered right now. Everyone else would claim that somehow, she could make it through without him.

An hour. An hour with Robin, with Dick. Was one enough? She hoped so, because Zatanna said the limit was an hour per person. _G__et traught or get dead. _They got traught, he got dead. Wally had just finished his turn, and Artemis slowly made her way up to the magicians.

_(Can you promise me?) to see you_  
_(Can you promise me?)_

"Dick?"

"Artemis?" That's how the conversation starts, and continues like it's another normal day. Except Artemis knows it's not, and Dick senses it too. He knows he's dead, he knows that time is limited, and he knows he has to cherish the last moments with Artemis. It's only when the hour is almost up when he embraces her and buries his head in her shoulder.

"Promise me that you won't regret a thing. Remember the good times we had? Promise that you'll still continue on with everything, with the Team, our- your friendship with Wally, just don't forget me." He starts to fade away and Artemis has enough time to whisper two words to the boy who pulls out of the hug.

"I promise."

_Promise me to think of us, of a time so beautiful (so beautiful)_  
_Promise me to think of us, still bright, still colorful (still colorful)_  
_Promise me to look back at us, as a time in your life you enjoyed_

She keeps her promise, she's still Artemis, the archer. Megan and Zatanna and her are the sisters that Jade once was, and still is to an extent. If anything, Wally and her are closer than ever. Only friends, though, because she just doesn't want to take it to romance. She's been there, and she hasn't lost any of the pain yet. But through it all, her word stands strong, and she smiles as big and genuinely as she can.

She can't break it or dishonor his memory. And gradually, it gets easier to laugh like it used to be. There's still a hole in her heart that can't be replaced, that screams to be noticed, that refuses to be ignored. And then there's a familiar voice in her mind that drowns out the yells of the hole, one that soothes her whenever she needs it, that boosts her confidence when she feels small, that helps her make it.

_Promise me to think of us, as a time so beautiful (so beautiful)_  
_Promise me to think of us, still bright, still colorful (still colorful)_  
_Promise me to look back at us, as a time in your life you enjoyed_

A few months later, on another fateful mission, she can truly shine that grin of hers. She doesn't feel any pain at the Shadow's knife that slits her throat because she just has a feeling, that after this, everything will be all right. Later, she finds herself both hating and loving the Shadow (platonic, no duh) because he took her from her friends to another.

And it is. She finds herself on a lively street, and he's just waiting for her at the steps of the apartment, his classic smirk spread across his features. There really is an afterlife, a heaven for ones gone. She sprints as fast as she can, which in here, is pretty fast, to the steps and pounces on him, rambling on about how much she's missed him. Nothing she says is new, he's watched her, keeping her promise and sometimes out of character. Dick's proud, and for some reason, so is she.

For once, she can smile that beautiful smile of hers and finally be free.

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_**I have no idea where this came from. This did not end like I thought it would. :/**_

_**...  
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_**Review?  
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